If you're talking about peripheral blood mononuclear cells, trhe simplest
way is to separate the mononuclear fraction using centrifugation through
Histpopaque. The mononuclear cells can be harvested and cultured at 1 x
10(6) cells/ml in MEM with 10% FBS, glutamine, and non-essential amino
acids. Monocyte/macrophages will adhere to the surface of the flask, and
the lymphocytes won't. Besides, the lymphocytes will die in a few days
without any IL-2. You can confirm the identity of the cells using a
non-specific esterase stain, which will be positive for macrophages.
Jay Mone'
